PHS Community Challenges FY27 Budget Cuts
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The School Committee received an early look Wednesday at the proposed fiscal year 2027 facility budgets, and the Pittsfield High community argued that $653,000 would be too much of a burden for the school to bear.
On Wednesday, during a meeting that adjourned past 10 p.m., school officials saw a more detailed overview of the spending proposal for Pittsfield's 14 schools and administration building.
They accepted the presentation, recognizing that this is just the beginning of the budget process, as the decision on whether to close Morningside Community School still looms. The FY27 budget calendar plans the School Committee's vote in mid-April.
Under this plan, Pittsfield High School, with a proposed FY27 budget of around $8.1 million, would see a reduction of seven teachers (plus one teacher of deportment) and an assistant principal of teaching and learning, and a guidance counselor repurposed across the district.
The administration said that after "right-sizing" the classrooms, there were initially 14 teacher reductions proposed for PHS.
"While I truly appreciate the intentionality that has gone into developing the equity-based budget model, I am incredibly concerned that the things that make our PHS community strong are the very things now at risk," PHS teacher Kristen Negrini said. "Because when our school is facing a reduction of $653,000, 16 percent of total reductions, that impact is not just a number on a spreadsheet. It is the experience of our students."
She said cuts to the high school budget is more than half of the districtwide $1.1 million in proposed instructional cuts.
Student representative Elizabeth Klepetar said the "Home Under the Dome" is a family and community. There is reportedly anxiety in the student body about losing their favorite teacher or activities, and Klepetar believes the cuts would be "catastrophic," from what she has seen.
"Keep us in mind. Use student and faculty voice. Come to PHS and see what our everyday life looks like. If you spend time at PHS, you would see our teamwork and adaptability to our already vulnerable school," she said.
"Please support us. Don't tear us down, for home under the dome can only stand with the strong pillars of collaboration with the district."
The School Committee also heard from longtime art teacher Lisa Ostellino, who said the cuts are not just numbers on a spreadsheet, but fewer opportunities, less support, and diminished experiences for students.
"And at some point, the idea that we can just make it work stops being a testament to our strength and starts becoming an excuse for continued inequity within our district," she added.
"Our students deserve more than our ability to stretch less into something passable. They deserve fairness. They deserve investment. They deserve to walk into a school that reflects their worth, not one that has been asked year after year after year to do more with less."
The proposed budget for Pittsfield Public Schools in fiscal year 2027 is $86,855,061, with $68,886,061 in Chapter 70 funding and $18 million from the city. It is a modest, $404,500 increase over FY26, and the administration needed to reduce nearly $4.4 million to achieve a level service-funded budget.
The Fair Student Funding model was used to prepare the spending plan, which allocates resources to schools based on students' needs, rather than solely historical staffing patterns or prior year budgets.
"Ultimately, we are presenting to you a districtwide, student-centered budget. It reflects our responsibility to be fiscally sound while building a stronger system for all students and supporting the educators who make that possible," interim Superintendent Latifah Phillips said.
She said the budget has gone through several iterations and feedback sessions, including individual meetings, group meetings, and department meetings. With over 80 percent of the budget in school-based staffing, the administration analyzed average class sizes and student loads, and compared them to three peer districts.
Phillips reported that PPS was "much lower" as it related to class sizes and paraprofessionals, and tried to make a reasonable reduction to not shock the system. Student ratios, especially in core classes, originally led to a proposed reduction of 14.5 teachers at PHS.
"Change is never easy. It can feel personal. It can bring frustration, yet it is precisely through these challenges that we have the opportunity to examine our systems, strengthen our practices, and make decisions that better serve students," she said.
"And so our approach was that if we approach change with respect, with open dialogue, a shared focus on our student outcomes. We can navigate these difficulties together."
Taconic High School, with a proposed budget of more than $10.5 million for FY27, would have its dean shifted to an assistant principal, and five teachers reduced: one teacher of deportment and four general education teachers. It was noted that because it is a vocational high school, Taconic receives more funding per student.
Vice Chair Daniel Elias said it seems like a "big punch" for PHS, a school that has been through so much and is "really turning a corner."
"It just feels like it's a little too much for one school to absorb in one year," he said.
Phillips pointed to the challenging size of the budget deficit, and that at least five of the elementary schools have nothing else to give.
"I don't want to lose sight of the fact that it's $4 million and it is an impossible task for you and your cabinet and for everyone involved," Elias said, recognizing his caution about the PHS cut because of the sheer volume.
"… But you've been very transparent through this process, you've been up front with everyone."
The district is gathering information for a potential statement of interest to the Massachusetts School Building Authority for repairs to PHS. The deadline is April 17, and Phillips said the city and district are working together to see if this can be proposed this year.
School Committee member Katherine Yon was a longtime teacher at PHS, said, "Go Generals is everything tonight, I think." Members thanked the public comment speakers who challenged the proposed cuts to PHS, and assured them that their concerns are being heard.
Tags: budget cuts, fiscal 2027, PHS, pittsfield_budget, school budget,
